Playing With Fire, a.k.a. A Letter To Rev. Terry Jones

“Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

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Dear Rev. Terry Jones,

By now, you have let every news outlet in the country know that your plan for International Burn a Koran Day on September 11th will continue. You have made it clear that you will do this despite being denied a permit to do so, despite the departure of several members of your church who disagreed with this course of action, and that you would do this even if former President George W. Bush, who you claimed to respect, asked you not to.

Now, don’t me wrong. I am a strong believer in the Constitution. You feel that your first amendment rights give you the right to do this, and I could not disagree with that. You are also using the freedom of religion card, and again, I could not disagree with that. And since I don’t trust George Bush, I definitely cannot begrudge you for that.

However, I do believe that, in the realm of common sense, what you are doing is morally irresponsible and downright stupid.

For a man who claims to be following the will of God, your actions show otherwise. I know that there are several passages in the Bible show how God struck out at the enemies of His people, so I’m sure that you could use this as justification for what you're about to do. But in many of these passages, it was shown that these acts were done by Him, not for him. Don't believe me? Check out Romans 12:19:

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.”

I’m not exactly a Bible scholar, but I think it says to let Him handle these things.

I know people who agree with you, Pastor Jones. A friend of mine said that since they love to burn our flags and burn effigies, they should get to see what it’s like. Another said that this will show them that we are not afraid.

The problem with this is that hate can never conquer hate. It only feeds it. Darkness cannot dispel darkness. Only light can do that. And if you notice, even the smallest light can dispel the deepest darkness. If we as a nation, as a people, are to show that we are stronger and better, we can only do that by being stronger than our emotions and better than our impulses. We should the example, not play Follow the Leader. What you are doing is the equivalent of a pissing contest.

Here’s another dose of common sense: every action has an equal reaction. You want to send a message. By burning a Koran, what do you think the reaction will be? How mad would you be if someone burned the Bible? Think about it!

You’re safe in Gainesville, but what about American soldiers and civilians who are not within America’s borders? What do you think will happen to those people who are deployed in Muslim countries when this act occurs? Think they get to escape the repercussions of your actions?

This is not about personal freedoms. What it is about is responsibility. The only way to show that we deserve something is to show that we are capable of handling it responsibly and accept the consequences when we are irresponsible. Face it, Pastor Jones, if anything happens to those people due to this, it's on your head, whether you like it or not. And we all know that God does not like ugly.

I know that nothing will stop you from doing this. Ignorance never needs a reason to be what it is, after all. So, rather than hate you, I’m going to pray for you. To paraphrase Jesus, I'm going to ask God to forgive you, not because you don't know what you're doing, but because someone said that He is the God of children and fools, and obviously you are not a child.

Enjoy your book burning, Pastor Jones. Enjoy your fifteen minutes. When it’s all said and done, you’ll have a few people on your side, a lot of people who will be disappointed, and a hell of a lot of Muslims with axes to grind into your skull. But when you find time to get off your high horse, just remember two things, okay?

First, those that play with fire often get burned.

Second, the last time a “famous” book burning occurred was in 1933. The place: Berlin, Germany. The reason: Nazi efforts to control the population disguised as national pride.

So, when history looks back at this, you’ll be in great company. Just thought you should know.

Your Mind Is A Closed Book

closed-mind·ed (adj) - Intolerant of the beliefs and opinions of others; stubbornly unreceptive to new ideas.

“A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood.” (Chinese proverb)

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How are we supposed to be in an age of enlightenment and information, yet there are so many closed-minded, intolerant and ignorant people?

You know them. Everyone has one. It might be your best friend, your girlfriend, or your neighbor. It's just like the saying goes: “There's always one.”

You want to avoid them like the flu, but you can't. They will draw you into the stupidest of arguments. What's worse is that these are arguments you cannot win, because they are so closed-minded that logic is unable to gain a foothold in their minds. They cannot accept the possibility that there is something more than what they think. To them, they are right and their way of thinking is the only way of thinking. You, sir or lady, are the one with the problem. Not them.

How can you convince a person who thinks they're right all the time? You can't. Banging your head against the wall would get better results, plus the headache's not as bad.

If you look at the world, anyone with half-a-brain could see that our progress was only possible when people looked beyond what was there and asked themselves an important question: “What if?”

Where would we be if early man had not designed tools to make his life easier? Who among you is glad that someone thought that computing power, which would easily fill a large room from wall-to-wall, could be miniaturized, leading to cell phones, PDAs and Playstations? Hell, everyone who caught an STD should be on their knees thanking Alexander Fleming for discovering penicillin from (of all things) mold.

I could go on and on about it, but closed-minded people would never get the point. So, here's a list of people that I consider to be very closed-minded. If you're open-minded, you'll agree with the list and could probably add in some names of your own. If you're closed-minded, you're in great company.

• The people who are protesting the building of a Islamic prayer center two blocks from Ground Zero in New York
• Religious bigots
• The Birthers, who are still convinced that President Barack Obama is not an American citizen
• The majority of commentators on Fox News
• The preacher in Gainesville who wants to host an “International Burn a Koran Day” on September 11th
  
• Skinheads
• Racists and bigots, period
• Sharron Angle, GOP challenger for Senator in Nevada, who believes that a woman should not have an abortion even if she was raped
• Sarah Palin (does this really need an explanation?)
• The Vatican, who recently listed the ordination of women as a grave crime and who still drag their feet when it comes to their priests sexually abusing little boys
• The idiots in MTV who decided that the “M” no longer stood for “Music”
• The idiots in MTV who came up with The Jersey Shore (no, scratch that. They're not closed-minded, but they have committed a crime against humanity and should be punished accordingly)
• The people in the state of Florida who wrote the law that allows homosexuals to be foster parents, but won't let them adopt
• The Pentagon officials who refuse to budge on banning gays in the military
• The people who once thought the Earth was flat
• The people who once thought the Earth was the center of the universe
• People who do not believe in evolution
• People who still think slavery was a good thing
• People who stick with a brand and won't even consider buying another brand that might be better
• The idiots who burned construction equipment at a future Islamic center in Tennessee
• Anyone who admires the Nazis
• Anyone who denies that the Holocaust happened
• The idiot who decided to put live action shows on Cartoon Network (it's called Cartoon Network, dammit! However, Adult Swim is excluded from this)
  
• The music industry, for not giving artists what they really deserve
• The movie industry, for not giving more major roles to people of other ethnicities (i.e., The Last Airbender) because they think it won't sell

I'm sure I've missed quite a bit of people on this list, but common sense tells me that those that get it will have people of their own who they can add to the list and those that don't will be in denial anyway.

Common sense advice: Open your mind to the possibilities out there. You can't know everything. Even if you're convinced you do.

It's A Gay Marriage Thing

Gay marriage - also referred to as same-sex marriage; a legally or socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender.

“Whenever the people are for gay marriage or medical marijuana or assisted suicide, suddenly the "will of the people" goes out the window.” (Bill Maher)

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[Cue birds singing, violin playing romantic music]

My first crush was in 1st grade. Her name was Maria Teresa Hernandez. She was a year older than me because I managed to skip kindergarten and was promoted to 1st grade (thus I never got to take naps in school, though I did make up for this later). She was, to me, the prettiest thing on the planet that was La Luz School. It turned out that she liked me, too. We sat next to each other and did what most kids who liked each other in the 1st grade did - stick our tongues out at each other, call the other a doody-head, and hit each other at every conceivable moment that the teacher wasn't looking. Before the school year ended, we had our first kiss. I was on cloud ten (too many people on cloud nine, so I took the upgrade). When summer started, we swore to call each other every day.

[Cue record scratching sound effect]

Yeah, right.

Calls were never made. That was because she moved away. I never saw her again. My heart was crushed. I thought I would never love that way again. Two days later, Keisha Johnson and her family moved into the neighborhood...

Damn, I was a heartless bastard, wasn't I?

For as long as I've lived, I have been what is classified as a heterosexual. I didn't ask to be this way. To my knowledge, I didn't even know I had a choice in the matter. All I know is that from the beginning, I liked girls. When I got older, I really liked girls. Now that I'm an adult, I love women. I don't think I was asked if I was a heterosexual. I just was. I didn't think to question it. I didn't even know it was a question.

I would be lying if I said I didn't use the word “faggot” as a kid. Kids do that. As a young man, we use words like that to put down other guys, especially under two circumstances:

• when you wanted to prove you were a bigger man than your friend in a playful manner, or
  
• when you wanted to prove you were a bigger man that your enemy
  

As a kid, rarely did I know someone who was actually gay. I might have suspected it, but they were never the “I'm here, I'm queer” type. It was always the one who acted a little too feminine, but in those days we would just call them a “mama's boy.” As an adult, they are out and about, walking with pride and carrying their rainbow flags.

Homosexuals. Gays. Lesbians. Once in the shadows, now they're out in the spotlight. Bravo for them, I say. Be proud of who you are.

The jury's still out on a lot of things. Is homosexuality something learned or is it something you're born with? Is it genetic or environmental? People can argue these points until the cows come home, but in the end, does it really matter? Is the gender of the person that someone loves really relevant in the scheme of things?

Personally, I don't care. It's not my job to judge. As long as you give me respect, I'll give you respect. Treat me with kindness and I'll do the same. Respect my boundaries and I'll respect yours.

It's amazing how hypocritical people can be. The religious right (an oxymoron if I ever heard one) swears that homosexuality is a threat to the sanctity of marriage. Yet, 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Marriages that are between a man and a woman, mind you. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, people in the Bible Belt find the most reasons for divorce at roughly 50% above the national average.

Translation: Self-righteousness does not make a happy marriage.

We don't deny them the right to a job, purchase property, take vacations, invest, or go to McDonald's. But once they wanted to start getting married, that was when the human excrement hit the rotating propeller device. After all, why would they not want to be with the one they love in a manner unlike what a man and a woman would want? Shouldn't they be able to pass on property to their loved one, like a married man and woman could do? Not according to the religious right. And accordingly, because people vote in the people who are making the laws, no one who wants a long-term political career in Washington, D.C. will even consider touching that subject on a federal level.

States rights, however, are a different story. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. (oh, the irony) are the only five states that perform same-sex marriages. California used to, but the item came to a vote that passed, ending it. However, this was ruled unconstitutional (yay, Constitution!), but is currently on appeal.

Do I agree with same-sex unions, whether they be marital or not? My religious upbringing does not, because people of the same sex cannot produce life, which is one of the tenets of God. My spiritual self says it doesn't matter because everyone has the right to find someone they love and who loves them. My realistic self says who cares because the bills need to get paid, the kids need clothes and the wife wants to have some quality time. Only the man upstairs has the answer to it all, so I'll leave it up to him.

So, here's my common sense advice about gay marriages to every one of you out there:

• If you're complaining about gay marriage and you're married, you're obviously neglecting your spouse and kids. I'm married and find myself too busy about the wife and kids to be worried about gay marriage. I can barely get in a decent game of Modern Warfare.
  
• If you're complaining about gay marriage and you're single, You have too much time on your hands. Get away from the Facebook, put the iPhone down, and go to a bar and meet someone. I hear speed dating does wonders.
  
• If you're complaining about gay marriage and you're not married but you are in a relationship, then you're probably gay. Or don't want to get married. Or both.
  
• If you're complaining about gay marriage and walk around carrying a Bible, just go to the kitchen and have a nice cup of STFU. First of all, Jesus said let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Secondly, when you're quiet, you'll hear silence. Know what that silence is? It's the sound of no one caring about what you think.
  
• If you're not complaining about gay marriage, then congratulations. You have a life. Go live it.
  

Live and let live, people.

Live & Let Live… & Let Sheep Be Sheep

“In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.” (Dalai Lama)

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Every day, I grow more and more disillusioned about people. It constantly amazes me how we, the smartest creatures in the planet due to God/evolution/chaos/insert-your-own-reason-here, can be so damn stupid. Each time the sun rises and sets, I seriously wonder if the bar on stupidity continues to be raised or why we keep breaking our own record on how stupid we can become.

Let me stop here for a second to clarify something. I am human. I am not perfect. I make my fair share of mistakes. But if there is one thing I will say, I can admit when I am wrong (and offer the necessary apology) and I can learn from my mistakes.

Now, let’s get back to the subject at hand. For creatures that love freedom, we have the easiest time trying to step on the freedom of others. Whether it’s gay marriage, religious expression, abortion rights, health care, or whether a Happy Meal should have a toy in it (I wish this last one was a joke), we love to get into other people’s faces and tell them what they should do with themselves, whether they like it or not.

I think that deep down, we are all control freaks, but it’s the freakiest of the control freaks that scare me. You know who they are. The ones who are convinced that only they are right and that everyone else who disagrees is wrong. Their justifications vary – raised by a moral family, born a citizen, or even have a book and TV show – but they are all the same. To them, you are misguided and uneducated. You don’t know better. But they do, so let them show you the way. Just follow their lead.

In other words, be a sheep.

I believe that as the “enlightened” species of planet Earth, we need to show that differences are just that and not a marker for what is right or wrong. Will I really lose sleep if someone who has a different skin color that me lives in my neighborhood? Is it really that big of a deal if someone makes a choice to be with someone of the same sex? Is it necessary for you to beat me up because I prefer McDonald’s fries over BK’s?

Differences surround us in all stages of life… and it’s beautiful. Do we discriminate between the rose and the sunflower, or do we just enjoy each for what they bring? Ever seen a pack of dogs fend off another dog because he had a brown patch over his left eye instead of a white one? I won’t use cats as an example because they feel their superior to everyone equally, but at least they all agree on that.

So let’s celebrate those differences. Try and see things from another point of view with an open mind. Debate things from a standpoint of knowledge and a willingness to learn, not because you are better than they are, because you might be wrong. And if you can’t agree, then just agree to disagree.

Just so you know, election time is coming up. Everyone who wants to be in office will do whatever they can to convince you that they are right and their opponent is wrong. You have three choices at this point:

A. Choose your candidate only because he/she is a member of your chosen political party, regardless of whether they could do the job;

B. Listen to the candidates’ stand on the issues at hand (economy, jobs, education, etc.) and then decide who best represents your interests; or

C. Do nothing.

If you choose A, you are a sheep. You are part of the problem.

If you choose B, congratulations. You are on the way to convincing me that human beings can be redeemed and that God/evolution/chaos/insert-your-own-reason-here was right.

If you choose, C, then STFU. You are worse than the sheep.

Don’t be a sheep. Be… just be you. Just live and let live. Of course, if you wish to be a sheep, then I’ll respect that, too. But I will make fun of you, whether you respect that or not.